Pneumatic renovator.



.275. PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

T. J. SULLIVAN & G. J. HARRIS.

PNEUMATIC RENOVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1904.

No. 845,275 PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

T. J. SULLIIVAN & G. J. HARRIS.

PNEUMATIC RENOVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.25.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Paren -r. carton.

THOMAS J. SULLIVAN AND esoiihiis J. HARRIS, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN; sine HARRIS ASSIGNOR TO JOHN n.- STOUTHAMER, or MILWAUKEE,

WISCONSIN.

NEUWIATEG lQENQVAYQR:

To all 70/1/0121, it may concern: I

Be it known that we, THOMAS J. SULLIVAN and GEORGE J. HARRIS, residing in Milwaukee, in the countyof Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Renovators, of which the following is a descrip tion, reference being had to the accompany-- ing drawings,which are a part of this specification. p 7 Our invention has relation to improvements inpneumatic renovators for abstract:

ing dust from carpets, furniture, and thelike to any other point of discharge. A

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of renoand to convey it to a'separator or collectoror vator of such character that the mechanism for producing a current of air' is contained within the machine itself and is operated entirely by the movement of the machine over the article to be renovated. p

- With the above primary object and otherincidental objects in view the invention consists of the devices and parts or their equivalents,

as hereinafter set forth. I In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete device, parts air is free to enter the main chamber 6 of this carriage through an opening? Below the mainchamber is a passage 8, which extends longitudinally for substantially the length of the carriage and communicates near one end 'with a transverse air-passage 9, which passage communicates'with an exit-opening 10,-

formed in the bottom'piece of the carriagre,

and which bottompiece is adapted to he slid over the article to be cleaned. Theexite opening 10 is preferably provided with downwardly-converging bordering walls. these walls (indicated by the numeral 11) may be formed by upturning the bottom piece atthe exit-opening and bending said,

upturned portion a digergent plane and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 25, 1904. Serial No. 234,303-

boards of the bellows.

One of Patented F6126, 1907.

the other Wall (indicated by the numeral 12) by a portion extending downwardly from the bottom pieceof the-passage 9 at the Milt/5 opening and slanting the said downwardly extending portion toward the wall 11.

this manner a contracted exit-0penin'g'ispro vided; .Onebfthese Walls is preferably ad jirstable, so'as towiden or narrow the exit v opening, and inthe accompanying illustration we have shown the wall 12 as'adj'ustable,

theadjustment being provided by forming the said wall w'itha projecting flat extension 13, which is placedagainst the bottom piece of the passage?) and is heldadjustably thereto by means of screws 14, passing through elongated slots ,15 in one 0f ;the'men'rber s (said slotszshownin-the-drawings as being I "provided in the bottom piece of: the passage 19) and entering the other member;

- A passage 116for discharging the dustladenair from the carriage is providedat one end of-said casing'and extends upwardly to and through the top of; the carriage and is open at its upper end for the free discharge of said air. Near its opposite endthe pas sage 16 extends around beneath the. bottom of. the passage 9 and terminates at an opening l7, formed in the'bottom of the carriage,

'preferablyat a pointfclose to the bordering wall 12 of the exit-opening 10.

' Withinthe carriage and conveniently located in-inwardly-inclined positions are two series of bellows, one series being preferably located at the left-hand end of the carriage and the other series at the right-hand 'end of said carriage. Each of these bellows consists of the usual stationary or fixed board 18, (a. single fixed board, as shown, may be provided for the several alined, bellows) -movable board 19, and the flexible leather portion 20, connecting the two boards. Op. positely-arran 'ed pairs of these bellows are [alternately collapsed and extended by meansof a crank-carrying axle, in connection with links extendingfrom the cranks, and connected at their outer ends to the movable The axle (indicated by the numeral v21) carries on its opposite ends the traction-wheels 22 22, rererably rubber-tired and which are-adapte to travel over the article to be cleaned or renovated.

[These wheels being fast on the axle will of course communicate their rotation to said axle, and the rotation of the axle in turn, by

I tion the axle is consequently shown as pro- 1 be arranged accordingly. One 'ofthe end numeral 25.

loosely fitted to the wrists or pins of the vided with one crank for each pair of beldirections;

.endsof the several passages 35 communimeans of the crank-and-link connections with the bellows, will have the effect of alternately collapsing and extending oppositely-disposed bellows. The axle is prolows, and inasmuch as there are three pair of bellows shown in the accompanymg illustravided with three of the cranks, the said cranks extending from the axle'in different We of course do not intend to limit ourselves to a particular number of belpneumatic current, inasmuch as, for instance. where the specific form of bellows 1s employed instead of three pair being used only' one pair or two pair or more than three pair may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of. our apventwn. In such case, of course, the c'ranks vupon the axle and the links extending from said cranks and connected to the bellows should cranks of the axle is indicated by the nu meral'23, the other end crank by the Inn meral 24, and the intermediate crank by the The two links connecting the crank 23 with the o posite Bellows relating thereto are indicated by the numerals 26 26, the two links connecting the crank 24 with the opposite bellows relating thereto by the numerals 27 27 and the two links connecting the intermediate crank 25 with the opposite bellows relating thereto by the numerals 28 28. The inner ends of all of these links are cranks by being provided with sleeves 29, which loosely surround said wrists or pins. The outer ends ofthe links are pivotally con nected to the inner sides of the bellows, conveniently to lugs 30, projecting from the movable boards of the bellows. The fixed board of each bellows is provided with an inlet-opening 31 and with an outlet-opening 32. The inlet-opening is controlled by means of an inwardly-opening lap-valve 33, usually of thin leather, and the outlet-opening is controlled by a similar but outwardlyopening valve 34. The outletopen. ng of each bellows communicates with a downwardly-extending passage 35. The lower cate, respectively, with passages 36 '36, arranged at opposite ends and transversely of the casing, and the passages 36 in turn co1i1 munic'ate with'opposite ends of the air-pas sage 8.

In order to provide for the flexible portion 20 of each bellows moving uniformly when either collapsed or extended, opposite sides of said flexible portion have arranged thcre-' against or adjacent thereto lazy-tongs '37 37,- the outer ends of the levers constituting each lazy-tongs being'pivotally secured to lugs 38 and 39, projecting, respectively, from the striking any raised fixed and movable pieces of the bellows. By this arrangement of course the movable piece of each bellows is compelled to move in a straight path toward or from the fixed piece when the bellows is either collapsed or ex tended, and consequently the accordion folds or plaits of the flexible portion of the bellows collapse together or are extended apart an equal distance throughout. In order to prevent the sides of the flexible portions of the ali'ned bellows from contacting or rubbing against each other in the extension or collapsing of said bellows, we prefer to arrange plates 40 between the opposed sides of the adjacent bellows w, 'The carriage is provided with a top piece 41, which is supported by means of ledges projecting inwardly from the opposite sides and ends of thecarriage at the upper edges of saidfcarriage. In the drawings a bag 42 is shown as connected to the upper edge of the carriage, and into this bag the dust-laden air which passes through the discharge-passage 16 is received. The top of the fcarriage is preferably provided centrally with a dust pocket or receptacle 43. The dust-laden air therefore discharges directly into the bag 42, and the heavy particles or the dust drops into the pocket 43, the surfaces of the top 41 leading to the pocket being on a gradual declinatibn toward the pocket, sothatthe particles of dust which do not fall directly into the pocket may slide down these inclined surfaces and be thereby carried into said pocket. The air which enters the bag and is thus freed from the particles of dust is free to pass out of the interstices or small openings of the bag.

Frequently the article to be cleaned may have an irregular or uneven surface. In order to enable the carriage to be pushed as evenly as possible over suchfl 'rough or uneven surfaces wherever encountered to thereby insure the rotation of the wheels and consequent rotation of the axle, we prefer to mount the opposite ends of the axle 21 in plates 44 44. These plates .are arranged against the outer sides of the side pieces of the carriage, and the axle passes through elongated slots 45 45 in said side pieces, its outer ends having their bearings in circular openings in the said plates 44. The plates are. 'movably fitted and guided beneath'oub standing and inturncd flanges 46 46, formed at the inner opposed edges of plates 47 47, which plates are secured to the outer sides of the side pieces of the carriage. From this constructi'onit will be seen. that the plates are movable in the guideways provided there for, and consequently the axle, which has its hearings in said plates, has a limited movement to the extent permitted by the elongated slots 45. The wheels, therefore, in or upward projection in the surface over which the carriage is pushed will rise, or, on the other hand, in passing into any concavities or depressions will be permitted to lower, whereby irregularities in the surface of the article over which the carriage is" pushed-are compensated for. 1

The operation and manner of using our improved renovator will now be explained. The carriage is pushed over the surface of the article to be cleaned by means ofa handle I o 48, which at its inner end oins or is connected to a yoke 49, the arms of said yoke straddling the carriage and being connected at their ends to the sides of said carriage. As the carriage is pushed overt-he surface of the n r 5 article to be cleaned the Wheels 22 are necessarily rotated, and this rotation, as before explained, is communicated to the axle 21 The, cranks on this axle, in connection with the .links 26, 27, and 28, extending from the re-- zospective cranks and connecting with the movable board of the bellows, will cause an alter nating collapsing and extendingof the'opposite bellows of a pair, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3. .In this figure it will be seen that 2 5 the left-hand bellows which is connected up to the crank 23 is collapsed, While the rightjhand bellows connected to the'samecr'ank is extended, also that "the left-hand bellows which is connectedto, the crank.24 is 'exo'tended, while the right-hand bellows connected to the same crank is collapsed. At this positiontjof-the two cranks 23, and 24 the position'of the intermediate crank 25 is such 7 that bothof the bellows connected to said 'ggcrank 25" are extended-, to some extent.-

.- However, upon the further rotation of the intermediate crank 25 the bellows operated thereby-Will likewise be, alternately collapsed and extended. g Upon the extending offany onebfthe-bellows a vacuum is created therein, and this permits the air ,inthe chamber 6 to rush into" the interior space ofthe bellows through the inlet-opening 31, the force of the air-opening ".4 5 the flap-valve 33 controlling said opening 31 and closing flap-valve 34, which controls outlet-opening 32/ When the bellows is subse quently collapsed, the compression of the air will 'closethe fiapvalve 33, and thereby prevent the escape of airthrou h the inlet-opening. The flap-valve 34, iowever, will be 0 ened r and the compressed air forced .t rough the outlet-opening 32, thence down the passage 35 into passage 36, thence into passage8, thence into transverse passage 9, and through the opening 10 of said passage and into 'the' carpet or other article to be cleaned; The air thus forced through the article to be renovated extracts from said ar- 1 0o ticle dust and dirt, and the dust-laden air rises and passes upwardl through the opening' 17 intopassage 16, t ence out of the .up

per end of said passage into the bag 42. The dust and heavy; particles fall into the dust- 6 5 receptacle 43, while the air, freed from said particles, escapes through the meshes of the bag.

It will be seen from the foregoing descrip tion that the entire mechanism is operated by theact of. moving or pushing the carriage the machine itself is actuated by the movement ofv the casing, so as to operate upon the air in such manner as to abstract dirt from the article.

\Vhile in the accompanying drawings and dust and inthe foregoing description we have shown and described a specific form of bellows mechanism within the casing foraccompli'sh ing the object desired, yet we do not wish'to be understood as restricting ourselves thereto, inasmuch as we deem any other form of mechanism capable of producing an air-current and operated by the pushing of the carriage over the article to be cleaned as within the spirit and scope of our invention.

What we claim as our invention is- 1 In a pneumatic renovator, the combinain its bottom, mechanism mounted on the tion of a: carriage having adjacent openings carriage for creating an air-current, passages leading around the ends-of the carriage from said current-creating mechanism to one of the openings 1n. the bottom of. the carriage,

and a passage leading from the other of said openings around the end of the carriage to a point of discharge. v

. 2. i In a pneumatic renovator, the combination of a carriage having a flat bottom provigled with transverse adjacent openings, the carriagebeing also provided with a longitudinal passagein its bottom leading to one of said openings and a passage leading from the other of said openings around the end of. the carriage to a point of discharge, and means for creating an air-current mounted on the carriage and communicating with the said longitudinal passage in the bottom of the carriage.

3. ,In a pneumatic'renovator, the combination .of.'a carriage having adjacent openings in its bottom, having a passage leading from one of said openings, having a longitudinal passage leading to the other of the said openings, and a transverse passage communicating with the end of said longitudinal pas-. sage,'-a' series 0t current-creating devices mounted on the carriage and communicating with the-sald transverse for operating said devices.

passage, and means a 4. In a pneumatic renovator, the combination of a carriage in the form of a hollow casing or shell provided-with an air-chamber, the said chamber being in communication with the external air throu h an openingin the wall of the chamber, and said. carriage,

also having' passages opening through the bottom thereof, one of said, passages leading to a point of discharge, means carried by the carriage and supplied. with air from the airehamber of the carriage, said means adapted to produce a current of air, and to which means the other passage leads and is adapted to receive therefrom a current of air, and means operated by the movement of the carriage for actuating the air-current-producing means whereby a current of air is forced through the passage which leads to said aircurrent-producing means, thence along said passage and through the bottom of the carriage, thence through the article over which the carriage passes, and thence through the other passage and to a'place of discharge.

5. In a pneumatic renovator,'tl1e coinbination of a carriage adapted to be moved over the article to be cleaned, mechanism mounted on said carriageior creating an a1r-0urrent abstracting the dust from the article to be cleaned, the top of the carriage being provided \vlth a depression or pocket l'OIlIllIlg a dust-receptacle, a bag secured over said top 1 of the carriage, and means for conveying into the bag the dust-laden air abstracted from the article to be cleaned. i

v6. In a pneumatic renovator, the coinbination of a carriage adapted to be moved over the article to be cleaned, and provided with means for creating an air-current and means for directing said current against the article to be cleaned, an. axle. mounted in the-car riage so as to have free verticalmovement and carrying a tracti0nwheel adapted to hear on the article to be cleaned, and a connection between the axle and the currentcreating means adapted, when the axle is rotated to cause an actuation of said. currentcreating means. I

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two'witnesses.

7 THOMAS J. SULLIVAN.

GEORGE J. HARRIS. Witnesses ANNA F. SOHMIDTBAUER, ALMA A. KLUG. 

